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Singer Jenni Rivera dies in plane crash

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Damarys Ocaña: We mourn the death of rising Mexican-American star Jenni Rivera

Ocaña: She overcame strife to reach the top of a Latin music genre dominated by men

She was talented, down to earth and inspiring, Ocaña writes

Ocaña: We mourn the lost opportunity to have Latina tell her story

Mainstream America was supposed to get to know Jenni Rivera in the coming months, but not like this. Not because of her tragic death in a plane crash at just 43 years old.

The Mexican-American singer, who died in Mexico on Sunday, had recently signed a deal with ABC to star in a sitcom about a single mom with quirky parenting skills who juggles family and business: a reflection of her real life. It would have been a chance for the country to get to know a remarkable superstar and woman who was talented, refreshingly down to earth and even inspiring.

Rivera had a big voice, a big personality and an undeniably big presence, whether she was onstage, belting out songs about heartache in traditional Mexican dress or a sexy leather outfit, or off it, talking openly about her personal struggles and success.

She was a luchadora, or fighter, who had overcome considerable personal strife, and she drew on her strength to climb to the top of a Latin music genre dominated by men.

She started out in music as a young mother and eventually became a mogul who sold more than 15 million albums worldwide, including 1.2 million albums and nearly 350,000 digital tracks stateside; sold out venues like the Staples Center in Los Angeles and had a bilingual TV show, a radio program, several businesses, a foundation for battered women and millions of followers online.

Photos: Singer Jenni Rivera 12 photos

Photos: Singer Jenni Rivera12 photos

Singer Jenni Rivera – Singer Jenni Rivera performs during the 11th annual Latin Grammy Awards in November 2010 in Las Vegas. Rivera, 43, died December 9, 2012, when the small plane she was traveling in crashed in the mountains of northern Mexico.

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Photos: Singer Jenni Rivera12 photos

Singer Jenni Rivera – Rivera sings the national anthem at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles in August 2012.

Singer Jenni Rivera – Rivera performs at the Billboard Latin Music Awards in April 2012. Rivera was known to fans as "La Diva de la Banda," or the Diva of Banda Music, establishing herself as a musical powerhouse with her Spanish-language performances of regional Mexican corridos, or ballads. In recent years, she had been working to crack the English-language U.S. market.

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Photos: Singer Jenni Rivera12 photos

Singer Jenni Rivera – Rivera is seen at the SAGIndie Actors Only brunch in January 2012, during the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. Rivera reportedly was on the verge of crossover success with a sitcom inspired by "I Love Jenni," a Spanish-language reality TV show.

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Photos: Singer Jenni Rivera12 photos

Singer Jenni Rivera – Rivera performs during the Teleton 2010 in December 2010 in Mexico City. Rivera's performances of soulful ballads won her millions of fans on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border.

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Photos: Singer Jenni Rivera12 photos

Singer Jenni Rivera – Rivera takes on the Mexican national anthem before the junior middleweight boxing bout between Shane Mosley and Sergio Mora in September 2010 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

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Photos: Singer Jenni Rivera12 photos

Singer Jenni Rivera – The singer kisses her son during a July 2009 concert in Los Angeles.

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Jenni Rivera's family and fans mourn

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Jenni Rivera en CNN

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Jenni Rivera en CNN01:07

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Fans and our readers -- Latina magazine first put her on the cover in May 2011 -- connected not just to her background as the daughter of immigrants who made something of herself, but her openness: She was neither perfect nor pretended to be so.

She once brawled with a fan, but later made amends and invited the fan to an all-expenses paid trip. She had run-ins with the law and rocky relationships: She was married three times and was divorcing former Major League Baseball pitcher Esteban Loaiza at the time of her death.

"I'm not faking it in any way," she told us last year about her life as reflected in her show, "I Love Jenni," which aired on the Latino-aimed bilingual cable network mun2, adding that she wanted fans to "see the human being behind the celebrity name, the lights and sold-out concerts."

Instead, Latino journalists like me are left to introduce her to a larger audience by writing about her in the past tense. Hearing the news of her death on Sunday, I couldn't help but think of another star, Tejano singer Selena, who was poised to make an impact on American culture when she was killed 17 years ago. In both cases, we not only mourn the artist, but the moment, the lost opportunity to have one of us tell his or her own story beyond songs. But at least we'll always have those.